News

No charges filed against Stanford student arrested for rape

Campus police continue to investigate separate sexual-assault report

The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office will not file charges against a male Stanford University graduate student arrested for allegedly raping a 28-year-old woman on campus on Sept. 24, county officials confirmed.

The 22-year-old graduate student was arrested in the early hours at Lyman Graduate Residences on Campus Drive after campus police were called to his residence, according to William Larson, public information officer for the Department of Public Safety.

Prosecutors received the case on Wednesday, Oct. 5, and declined to press charges after a review of the evidence, district attorney's officials told Bay City News.

The graduate student and woman, who is not a Stanford student, were in a "dating relationship" at the time of the incident, Larson said.

The graduate student was arrested and booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail in San Jose. He posted his $100,000 bail and was released the next day, Larson said.

In a separate incident of alleged assault on the university campus on Sept. 30 (and involving two separate individuals), a female Stanford student reported to a campus security authority that she was raped by a male whom she didn't know. The alleged incident took place in the man's dorm room on the east side of campus.

Larson said on Monday that the Department of Public Safety "continues to actively investigate" this incident and "will not be providing additional details at this time so as to not compromise the investigation nor breach the privacy and confidentiality of the victim."

Stanford spokeswoman Lisa Lapin declined to say last week whether the university had opened a Title IX investigation into either case, but said that "it is a standard practice for the university to invite a sexual assault victim to speak to the Title IX office immediately after an incident."

Stanford announced Monday that an advisory committee of faculty and students, formed to monitor and make recommendations related to the university’s ongoing work to prevent sexual violence, is seeking input on these efforts from the campus community. The Advisory Committee on Sexual Assault Policies and Practices will be taking input through an online form on an ongoing basis, either by name or anonymously, the university said in a press release.

The committee is now being chaired by law professor Pamela Karlan. Karlan replaces chair Stanford Law School Dean Elizabeth Magill, who led a provost’s task force that last year issued a set of recommendations around sexual violence, including to make expulsion the "expected" consequence for students found responsible of sexual assault. Magill remains a member of the committee.

The advisory committee has been tasked with monitoring education and support programs related to sexual assault, as well as the university’s new pilot process for adjudicating reports of sexual violence. The pilot process is "expected to continue well into 2018," the press release reads. Its full, official adoption as university policy is contingent on approval from several faculty, student and administrative bodies, Stanford said.

"The advisory committee will monitor the process and gather information in order to make a recommendation about its ongoing adoption or refinement," the university said.

The Palo Alto Weekly has created a Storify page to capture ongoing coverage sexual-assault issues at Stanford University. To view it, go to storify.com/paloaltoweekly.

Posted by resident
a resident of Downtown North
on Oct 10, 2016 at 3:10 pm

There are 2 separate rape cases at Stanford this month. The media is confusing readers by reporting on both cases at the same time in most articles. One case was allegedly a date-rape (charges were dropped). The other case allegedly involved strangers (charges unknown).

Regarding the bail money, that is surely refunded when charges are dropped. If the accused used a bond company, there may be hefty fees involved, however.

Posted by Grumpy Old Guy
a resident of Palo Alto Orchards
on Oct 10, 2016 at 5:20 pm

According to some websites, if you're arrested, you can post a cash bond (fully refundable) or a bail bond.

With a bail bond, you put up 10%, the bail bonds'person' puts up the balance. If you try to run, the bail bonds'person' loses the balance of the bond he paid on the perp's behalf. If you appear, he keeps the 10% that the perp paid when its released by the court.

Posted by Al1234
a resident of Stanford
on Oct 11, 2016 at 12:08 amAl1234 is a registered user.

@Huh?The fact that no charges were filed doesn't mean she filed a false report. It just means that the DA could not prove beyond reasonable doubt that he raped her. It happened in his room behind closed door, so yeah it's going to be he-said she-said. End of the story.
Only a small fraction of reported rapes are actually lies( Web Link), one in four women gets raped in college. The odds are that he would have done it.Thankfully, we are in a country where someone is presumed innocent until proven guilty. So he will walk free even if he did it. The only way to go to prison for rape is to rape someone behind a dumpster and get caught. As long as you rape in a closed room and make sure to not leave any violence mark on her body, worst case scenario your name is on google, best case scenario she doesn't bother reporting it.

Posted by Gunn Alum Mom
a resident of Ventura
on Oct 11, 2016 at 9:35 amGunn Alum Mom is a registered user.

@Huh?: I agree with Al1234's comment that just because the District Attorney decided to not prosecute does NOT MEAN she wasn't raped. It is very difficult to successfully prosecute a rape when the victim had been dating the rapist.

1 in 4 college students are raped and very very few of those rapes are ever prosecuted.

Unfortunately this has happened to our daughter when she was in college. The impacts are tragic and long lasting.

Posted by talltree
a resident of Ventura
on Oct 11, 2016 at 12:11 pmtalltree is a registered user.

I know this: students have been raped by peer classmates at Stanford. When it happens victims are deeply traumatized but too afraid that the consequences of reporting it will be even worse than the gnawing sickness of keeping it hidden. A petite, bright 18yr science geek, with next to no partying experience, may think it's okay to drink a little alcohol and why not accept a few puffs of pot with her peers, only to end up in a situation where she is completely taken advantage of.

When it is confidentially brought to the attention of staff, it is not reported to anyone because ultimately the victim has to make this decision, whether or not to face the highly intimidating consequences for going public. So, whew, thank GOD, the rapists get to file it in their battery of fraternal "locker room stories."

For every one story that comes to light, there are hundreds that never have.
For every "lying bitch" there are hundreds of men who have taken advantage and gotten away with sexual abuse, scottfree.

True blessings to the heroes who speak out against the social disease of power and entitlement. It's honestly disgusting how pervasively rooted these aspects still are. The folks who speak up have to be very brave.

Posted by Al1234
a resident of Stanford
on Oct 11, 2016 at 12:29 pmAl1234 is a registered user.

I think the statistic of one out of four is actually probably understated. Every time I open up about being raped a woman usually tells me that she has been too. Stanford did a survey and they found that such a few number of graduate student women had been raped, but I could name more students that I know have been raped that they supposedly report. It is pretty clear that the best way to derail your career is to go through the trauma and mess of reporting.
Unfortunately this is the reality of universities right now. I wish there was a way to go past the he-said she-said, but right now there is none. So maybe we need to reframe the issue on supporting survivors and trying to stop repeat offenders.